Chapter 6: Are You Happy?
Jiang Xue stared blankly for a full half-minute before processing what her pen pal had written.
The sentence completely overturned her assumptions. She had thought Xiao Luohan was simply a princess confined due to illness, but her real situation was far worse than she’d imagined!
“Marriage alliance” was a euphemism. It was a forced political marriage. How many princesses sent for such alliances met a happy end?
Although the “Daying” dynasty wasn’t in any history books she’d studied, the Wangmei Pavilion in her dream, so desolate that even the carriage driver sighed upon seeing it, looked every bit like a cold palace.
Jiang Xue gripped her pen tightly, her thoughts a jumbled mess.
She wanted to ask her pen pal why she had to enter into this marriage. Why, when she was ill and didn’t have long to live, was she sent to a foreign land to suffer?
She wanted to ask if the servants bullied her, if they withheld supplies, if she was adjusting to her new home, if she was experiencing any culture shock…
But in the end, she simply asked:
【Does chatting with me make Your Highness a little happier?】
Since waking from that dream, Xiao Luohan had been contemplating whether to tell the spirit about it.
She wanted to share it, but they hadn’t known each other long. Even though the spirit was incredibly enthusiastic, she shouldn’t burden her with such personal matters.
But…
【Your Highness, please write whatever you want! I’m happy to chat about anything!】
The spirit had written those words just as she’d decided not to mention the dream.
The lively little deer had bounded up to her, nuzzling her affectionately, prancing around her, encouraging her to open up.
So, she reconsidered.
As she wrote about her dream, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but imagine the spirit’s reaction.
How would the world in her dream compare to the spirit’s “paradise”?
Would the spirit be surprised? Intrigued?
Fortunately, the spirit had given her a schedule of their daily activities. When she didn’t receive a reply, she knew it was time for “class.” She turned to the English-Chinese Dictionary hidden within Lessons for Women.
She waited patiently for the spirit to finish her studies and read about her dream.
【Are there any more details?】
As she’d hoped, the spirit was interested in the world in her dream.
However, she had been so focused on following the young woman in white that she hadn’t paid close attention to her surroundings. She racked her brain, adding a few more details.
She had told all she could. When the spirit returned from her studies, she would surely share her thoughts.
But the spirit’s belated reply stunned her.
【In that dream, I saw a procession of carriages…】
It was as if a stone had been dropped into a still pond, instantly pulling Xiao Luohan back to the day of her journey to Daying.
When she finally came to her senses, she realized her mouth was filled with the metallic taste of blood – she’d bitten her lip. Her fingers, gripping the brush too tightly, had turned white.
She had to rinse her mouth and stand by the washbasin for a while to compose herself before returning to her desk and reading the spirit’s description, word by word.
There was no mistake.
The spirit had dreamt of what she had experienced.
However, many details were omitted, such as the difficulties she’d encountered on the journey and the wretched state she’d been in upon arriving at Wangmei Pavilion.
She didn’t know if the spirit had seen those things in her dream and had chosen not to mention them out of consideration for her feelings, or if she had only seen the scenes she’d described. But she could sense the spirit’s kindness.
—Jiang Xue sincerely wanted to exchange “strange dreams.” Her description was as detailed as possible, the characters meticulously written in a script she could easily understand.
And then…
【I’ve never dreamt of anything like this before I met you.】
“I had never been to the place in my dream before I met you, either,” Xiao Luohan thought.
Was the spirit hinting at something?
…No, it wasn’t just a hint.
She had shared her dream, and instead of interpreting it, the spirit had recounted a related dream of their own.
The spirit was guiding her! Guiding her to find the connection between their two dreams, helping her to dispel the fog!
With this realization, understanding dawned on Xiao Luohan.
She finally guessed the identity of the young woman in white!
Unfortunately, they were both mere observers in each other’s dreams, their forms intangible, like wisps of smoke or gusts of wind, unable to interact with the dream’s inhabitants, even if they tried.
Their only connection, for now, was this book.
Understanding this brought a strange mix of emotions to Xiao Luohan’s heart.
She didn’t want to burden anyone, so she hadn’t even brought her personal servants with her. This spirit, named Jiang Xue, was the only person she could talk to.
In her remaining days, she’d glimpsed a strange and wondrous light.
Now, she wanted to reach out and touch that light, to bask in its glow for just a little while longer.
So, she took another step:
【The scene you describe is precisely what I saw and experienced on the day I left for my marriage alliance in Daying.】
—And what part of Jiang Xue’s life did her dream depict?
When the spirit didn’t reply, Xiao Luohan couldn’t help but stand and retrieve a sheet of xuan paper, spreading it out on the table.
Parts of last night’s dream were still vivid in her mind. She decided to paint them, to piece together the world where the spirit lived.
Having learned painting from her mother since childhood, Xiao Luohan’s brush moved almost without thought, creating the effects she desired.
As she began sketching the outline of the young woman in white, she noticed from the corner of her eye that new characters had appeared in the book:
【Does chatting with me make Your Highness a little happier?】
Her brush froze. When Xiao Luohan snapped back to attention, the spot where the young woman in white should have been was covered by a spreading blot of ink.
This was an unexpected question.
She didn’t understand why the spirit had asked it. They hadn’t finished discussing the dream. Why change the subject?
Normally, she would keep her confusion to herself, letting time resolve it, or not.
Perhaps the spirit’s words, “Your Highness, please write whatever you want,” had emboldened her. Unable to understand, she simply wrote down her confusion.
She had already taken one step. A few more wouldn’t hurt.
【Why do you change the subject? If you truly do not wish to tell me, I shall not ask again.】
Jiang Xue, sneaking a peek at her diary during class, saw this sentence and felt a wave of confusion.
She quickly reviewed their conversation, cringing at her own erratic train of thought.
She’d been too presumptuous! From the Third Princess’s perspective, she had abruptly changed the subject without any explanation, causing a complete misunderstanding!
But should she really ask directly? Was now the right time?
Marriage was a significant life event, let alone a political marriage affecting the fate of two nations. Surely she couldn’t just casually bring it up and comment on it?
Jiang Xue had never encountered such a situation before and was unsure what to do. Since it was almost time for the next break, she decided not to rush her reply, closing the diary and taking notes instead.
The moment class ended and the teacher left, she grabbed her diary and rushed to the other side of the classroom, pulling Xie Xitong, who was about to take a nap, out the door.
“What is it now? You seem frantic.” Xie Xitong yawned, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes. “Can you keep it short? I need to go back and sleep…”
“I want to ask my new pen pal something, but I don’t know if it would be offensive.” Jiang Xue opened the diary. “It’s… well… she’s not just a princess, she’s a princess sent for a marriage alliance, and she’s already married!”
“I just wanted to ask if chatting with me makes her happy! If it does, I’ll keep chatting with her and tell her more about things here. But she seems to have misunderstood…”
She saw Xie Xitong make an effort to open her eyes and scan the diary.
“What’s the big deal? And haven’t you always been direct?”
“…Huh?”
“If the Third Princess has read all your previous diary entries, she already has a basic understanding of who you are, and she accepts the personality you’ve revealed in your diary.”
Xie Xitong explained patiently, “Although you just met, you’ve already talked about a lot before this topic, right? If you want to know more about each other, you have to ask directly! If she doesn’t want to answer, she’ll tell you, whether directly or indirectly. What are you so worried about?”
Leave a Reply to coolkiz Cancel reply